lawlee



of a pump. To the top of said piston B are at- 4c -panying drawings, inWhich- 'UNITED STATES VPATENT OFFICE.; 4

THOMAS LAWLER AND JOHN J. LAWLER, OF. CLIFTON, NEW YORK.

EXCAVATING-BUCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 378,099, dated February21, 1888.

Application filed March 12,' 1887.

Serial No. 230,712. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, THOMAS' LAWLER and J OHNJ LAWLER, citizens of theUnited States, and residents of Clifton, in the county of Bichmond andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inEX- cavatingBuckets, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that class of dredge excavating-buckets knownas clamshell or grapple buckets. The special object of our bucket is tooperate in hard or compact material, such as sand or clay, where thepresent' class of such buckets will not operate, owing to the inabilityto force or hold the buckets into the material. This we accomplish bybringing the grappling parts of the bucket onto a cylinder having theoperating parts mounted thereon, and the said cylinder provided with apiston working within the cylinder, which raises the material in itsupward movement, and by the vacuum thus formed the cylinder is held downon the material, so we are enabled to force the grapple-scoops into thematerial, which close under the bottom and retain the load while beingraised from the bottom, which will be hereinafter more fully explained,reference being had to the accom- Figure 1 represents side elevation ofour bucket as closed when loaded, part in section. Fig. 2 representssame when open for dis-j charging the load and ready to lower on thematerial for another load.

A is the cylinder in which the piston B is fitted, same being providedwith a packing, 2, of any suitable material, to make said'pis tonair-tight in similar manner as the piston tached the toothed racks C'and C', respectively, on the upper end of which is secured thecross-head guide D, through which the operating-chains pass, beingguided by suitable rolls, 3 4 5 6. Engaging with the racks O and O arethe gear wheels E and E', mounted on suitable arms, 7 and 8, secured tothe outside ofcylinder A at b, the said wheels E and E being connectedtothe pivoted grapplescoops F and F by the rods 10 and 11, hinged to theouteredgel of same at C. The said scoops are secured to the outside ofthe cylinder A at 12 on pivots or trunnions.

G and G are the hauling-chains for closing the grapple-'scoops F and Fand raising lthe load.

H and H are backingchains for opening same when raised to point ofdischarge and for lowering said bucket onto the material, as shown inFig. 2.

The operation is: The bucket being open, as

shown in Fig. 2, the said bucket is lowered by the chains H and H ontothe material. The edge of the cylinder A will force itself vinto sameuntil it rests on the piston B. The cutting-edges 13 and 14 of thescoop-grapples will also enter to the same depth. lThe chains H and Hare then slackenedl and the power applied to the chains G and G,whichare secured to the wheels E and E', respectively, and pass under sheaves15 and 16, (secured on the top of piston B,) thence up between the racksO and C', through the cross-head D, to the point of power. As the saidchains G and G are drawn up, they raise the piston B in the cylinder A,drawing the material into same, and at the same time force the pivotedgrapple-scoops F and F into the material, as shown by dotted lines inFig. 2, by the rods 1() and 11, which are actuated by the wheels EandE', the said wheels being revolved by engagement with the toothed racksO and Cand the chains G and G', this motion continuing until thescoops'are closed and the piston B is at the top of the cylinder A, asshown in Fig. 1, I

where it will be found that the cylinder A and scoops F and F arefull.The whole being raised to point of discharge, the chains G and G areslackened and the power applied to the chains-H and H', (which are alsosecured to the wheels E and E', respectively,) revolving the said wheelsE and E in the opposite direction, opening the scoops F and F andforcing the piston B downward, as shown in Fig. 2, removing the .load ifit should have any tendency to adhere to theA cylinder A, when thebucket is then ready to repeat the abovedescribed operation.

Vhen the bucket is open, as shown in Fig. Y

2, the pivoted grapple-scoops F and F are outwardly inclined at thebottom for the purpose of allowing the material to be discharged fromthem freely'and to form a better cutting-edge when lowered ontothematerial. Thus it will be seen by the powerful com- IOC pounding ofthe power by meansof the toothed racks C and Cengaging with the Wheels Eund E, to which the hauling-chains G and G are also attached, we areable in hard and cornpact material, which will not rise in the cylinderA, to hold said cylinder firmly down to the Work by the suction of thepiston'B, While the grapple-scoops F and F are forced into the materialand disengage sufficient quantity to iill the'whole bucket.

If desired, the lower edge, e, of the cylinder A may be serrated, andalso the cutting-edge of the scoops F and F', to enable the same to morereadily enter the material.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure byLettersPatent, 1s

l. In an excavatingbueket, the cylindrical tube A, open at both ends andprovided withy the piston B, Working freely in the said cylinder A, incombination with the grapple-scoops F and F', pivoted to the saidcylinder A and closing under saine, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

2. In an excavator-bucket, the cylinder A, having a piston, B, providedwith toothed racks C and C', and said racks engaging with the wheels Eand E', connected at their upper end with cross-head D, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

3. In an excavator-bucket, the wheels E and E', mounted on the cylinderA and engaging with toothed racks C and C', and having thehauling-chains G and G and backing-chains H and H attached to saidwheels, and the Wheels being connected to the scoops F and F by the rods10 and l1, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In an excavator bucket, the haulingchains G and G, passing under thesheaves 15 and 16, secured to the top of piston B, and the said chainsconnected to the Wheels E and E', mounted on the cylinder A,substantially as and for the purpose speciiied.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State ot' New York,thisV 8th day of March, A. D. 1887.

THOS. LAW'LEH. JOI-IN J.. LAVLER. Witnesses:

' C. A. RIcIARDs,

S. S. BARBIE.

